Florida Senate - 2018 (NP) SB 402
By Senator Rouson
19-00666A-18 2018402__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to the Pinellas County Construction
3 Licensing Board; amending chapter 75-489, Laws of
4 Florida, as amended; revising the composition of the
5 Pinellas County Construction Licensing Board; revising
6 the terms of the board members; providing for the
7 election and terms of the chair and vice chair;
8 authorizing the board to regulate local licensure and
9 discipline local contractors; authorizing the board to
10 employ personnel and incur expenses; providing that
11 board staff are employees of Pinellas County;
12 providing that the board is a dependent agency of the
13 Board of County Commissioners of Pinellas County;
14 authorizing the Board of County Commissioners to adopt
15 rules; requiring the board to provide an annual report
16 on finances and administrative activities; subjecting
17 the board to periodic audits; requiring members of the
18 board to file financial disclosure statements;
19 specifying the board is eligible for state funding to
20 support its operations during transition to the
21 county; providing an effective date.
22
23 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
24
25 Section 1. Subsections (1) and (3) of section 12 of part II
26 of chapter 75-489, Laws of Florida, as amended by chapters 89
27 504, 93-387, and 2003-319, Laws of Florida, are amended, and
28 subsections (13) through (16) are added to that section, to
29 read:
30
31 Section 12. Pinellas County Construction Licensing Board;
32 organization; meetings, and powers.—
33 (1) The Pinellas County Construction Licensing Board is
34 created, within the county of Pinellas, consisting of 15
35 members, as follows:
36 (a) Eight members, each of whom practices as or, as
37 appropriate, is primarily engaged in business as one the
38 following: a licensed general contractor, a Florida registered
39 architect, a licensed residential building contractor, a
40 licensed electrical contractor or a licensed plumbing
41 contractor, a mechanical contractor or a Class A air
42 conditioning contractor, a licensed roofing contractor, a
43 licensed sheet metal contractor, a licensed swimming pool,
44 aluminum, or veneer specialty contractor;
45 (b) A fire marshal or a Pinellas County building official;
46 (c) Two consumer representatives not affiliated with the
47 construction industry;
48 (d) A consumer protection representative from the Pinellas
49 County government; and
50 (e) Three building officials, as follows:
51 1. A North county building official from one of the
52 following municipalities: Clearwater, Tarpon Springs, Dunedin,
53 Oldsmar, Safety Harbor, Belleair, Belleair Bluffs, or Largo;
54 2. A South county building official from one of the
55 following municipalities: St. Petersburg, South Pasadena,
56 Gulfport, Seminole, Kenneth City, or Pinellas Park; and
57 3. A Beach Community building official appointed from a
58 list of three nominees from the Barrier Islands Governmental
59 Council twenty-one (21) members, two (2) of whom are primarily
60 engaged in business as general contractors; two (2) of whom are
61 primarily engaged in business as building contractors, two (2)
62 of whom are primarily engaged in business as residential
63 contractors, one (1) who is a Florida registered architect doing
64 business in Pinellas County, one (1) who is an electrical
65 contractor, one (1) who is a plumbing contractor, one (1) who is
66 a mechanical contractor, one who is a roofing or sheet metal
67 contractor, one (1) who is a swimming pool, aluminum or veneer
68 specialty contractor, two (2) fire marshals, and the three (3)
69 building Directors of the following: City of St. Petersburg,
70 City of Clearwater and County of Pinellas, one (1) North county
71 building director from one of the following municipalities:
72 Tarpon Springs, Dunedin, Oldsmar, Safety Harbor, Belleair,
73 Belleair Bluffs, or Largo, one (1) South county building
74 director from one of the following municipalities: South
75 Pasadena, Gulfport, Seminole, Kenneth City, or Pinellas Park,
76 one (1) Beach Community building director from one of the
77 following: the Town of Belleair Beach, the Town of Belleair
78 Shores, the City of Redington Beach, the City of North Redington
79 Beach, the City of Madeira Beach, the City of Indian Rocks
80 Beach, the Town of Indian Shores, the Town of Redington Shores,
81 the City of Treasure Island, and the City of St. Pete Beach, and
82 one (1) consumer member who is a resident and citizen of
83 Pinellas County and who is not and never has been a member or
84 practitioner of any of the trades or professions regulated by
85 the board or a member or practitioner of any closely related
86 trade or profession. All members of the board must shall be
87 residents of Pinellas County and are appointed by the Chairman
88 of the Board of County Commissioners.
89 (3)(a) A board member may not serve more than two
90 consecutive terms of 2 years, but may be reappointed after a 2
91 year hiatus Members of the board shall be selected as follows:
92 The three (3) building directors of the City of Clearwater, City
93 of St. Petersburg and the County of Pinellas; one (1) North
94 county building director and one (1) South County building
95 director selected by the Chairman of the Board of County
96 Commissioners from the municipalities listed in subsection (1);
97 one (1) Beach Community building director appointed from a list
98 of three (3) nominees submitted by The Barrier Island Government
99 Council; a Florida Registered Architect appointed from a list of
100 three recommended architects submitted by the American Institute
101 of Architects Florida Central Chapter, St. Petersburg and
102 Clearwater Sections; two (2) of whom are primarily engaged in
103 the business as general contractors from a list of five (5)
104 submitted by The Association of General Contractors of Mid
105 Florida, Inc.; two (2) of whom are primarily engaged in the
106 business as Building Contractors from a list of five (5)
107 submitted by the Contractors and Builders Association of
108 Pinellas County; two (2) of whom are primarily engaged in the
109 business as residential building contractors from a list of five
110 (5) submitted by Contractors and Builders Association of
111 Pinellas County; one (1) who is an electrical contractor from a
112 list of five (5) supplied by the Electrical Council of Florida,
113 Pinellas County Chapter; one (1) who is a Plumbing contractor
114 from a list of five (5) supplied by the Pinellas Association of
115 Plumbing, Heating & Cooling Contractors, Inc.; two (2) of whom
116 are fire marshals, who shall be active members of the Tampa Bay
117 Area Fire Marshals Association, from a list of five (5) supplied
118 by said association, one (1) of whom shall serve an initial term
119 of three (3) years, the other to serve an initial term of two
120 (2) years, with successors to serve for a term of two (2) years
121 thereafter; one (1) who is a mechanical or Class A air
122 conditioning contractor from a list of (5) supplied by the
123 Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Contractors’ Association
124 (“RACCA”); one (1) roofing or sheet metal contractor and one (1)
125 swimming pool, aluminum or veneer specialty contractor selected
126 by the Chairman of the Board of County Commissioners; one
127 consumer member to be appointed by the Chairman of the Board of
128 County Commissioners in accordance with paragraph 2(a). The
129 building director members from the City of Clearwater, from the
130 City of St. Petersburg and Pinellas County, shall be permanent
131 members of the board. All other members shall serve terms of two
132 (2) years.
133 (b) The terms of the following members shall commence their
134 terms in even-numbered years: the licensed general contractor,
135 the Florida registered architect, the licensed residential one
136 (1) general contractor, one (1) building contractor, the
137 licensed or, one (1) residential building contractor, one (1)
138 electrical or licensed plumbing contractor, a one (1) fire
139 marshal, one (1) consumer representative, and the North county,
140 South county, and Beach Community building officials. The terms
141 of the following members shall commence their terms in odd
142 numbered years: the consumer protection representative from the
143 Pinellas County government, the one (1) general contractor, one
144 (1) building contractor, one (1) residential building
145 contractor, one (1) mechanical contractor or Class A air
146 conditioning contractor, the one (1) plumbing contractor, one
147 (1) fire marshal or the Pinellas County building official, the
148 licensed one (1) roofing or sheet metal contractor, the one (1)
149 swimming pool, aluminum, or veneer specialty contractor, the
150 sheet metal contractor, a and one (1) consumer member, and the
151 South county building official.
152 (c) As the terms of members expire, the Chairman of the
153 Board of County Commissioners shall appoint a member to fill the
154 vacancy for a term of 2 two (2) years in the same manner as that
155 membership was originally filled. The architect, contractor,
156 electrical, plumbing and mechanical members shall be selected
157 from the county at large. The board shall elect from one of its
158 members a chair to serve as chairman and a vice chair one of its
159 members to serve as vice-chairman, for terms of up to 2 years a
160 term to be set by the board. All terms of office expire on
161 September 30 of the last year of the term. Vacancies in the
162 membership occurring prior to the end of a member’s term for any
163 cause shall be filled by Pinellas County appointment in the same
164 manner as that membership was originally filled.
165 (13) The board shall regulate local licensure and
166 discipline local contractors, and is authorized to employ
167 personnel and incur expense as necessary to perform its duties
168 and enforce this section. Board staff are employees of Pinellas
169 County, and Pinellas County is responsible for all costs
170 associated therewith. The board is a dependent agency of the
171 Board of County Commissioners. The Board of County Commissioners
172 may adopt rules to implement this act.
173 (14)(a) The board shall submit to all local governments in
174 Pinellas County, and make available to the public, a complete
175 report on finances and administrative activities of the board as
176 of the end of each fiscal year.
177 (b) The board is subject to periodic audits performed by a
178 certified auditor chosen by the Board of County Commissioners.
179 (15) Each member of the board who is not otherwise required
180 to file a financial disclosure statement pursuant to s. 8, Art.
181 II of the State Constitution or s. 112.314 must file an annual
182 disclosure of financial interests pursuant to s. 112.3145.
183 (16) The board is eligible for state funding for 3 years
184 after the effective date of this act to support its operations
185 as it transitions to Pinellas County.
186 Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.